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Kings of Petty Politics Part 3 – “The Paperclip”

The Kings of Petty Politics, Prairie Press, and their “Editorial” next try to equate a FOIA designed to determine if what they quoted county board member Farnham as saying was actually based on fact (Farnham says they misquoted him and won’t fix it), with what people like the PP, who absolutely despise anyone questioning government, call the “paper clip fiasco”.

Outside this little piece of Illinois we call Edgar County, election petition objections are routine business. There are various reasons for objecting to a petition, and none of them include “intimidating candidates”. Objecting to petitions is coded into law, the Illinois Election Code, with specific instructions on its process. It is a right of a voter to object to a petition. Unless, of course, you are in Edgar County…then it is “candidate intimidation”.

PP: “The complaint prompted the first-time sitting of an Edgar County Electoral Board”

The Truth:

The petition objection filed by Sandra Neal is the one that prompted the first-time sitting of an Edgar County Electoral Board. Ours followed hers.

Although we would love to claim our place in history as the ones that compelled the Edgar County Electoral Board to convene for the first time ever in Edgar County history, we cannot accept that honor without changing this significant historical moment with a time machine. We do not wish to strip the honor from the person who rightfully earned it…pen her name in the history books, she deserves the honor. The historic moment belongs to Sandra Neal (read this) who later voluntarily dropped her objection because it was frivolous.

Here is an article explaining the 2013 Edgar County Electoral Board. This election was filled with the Clark-Edgar Rural Water District’s electioneering by assisting certain candidates, to fraudulent signatures and perjury causing two candidates to withdraw their petitions instead of testifying under oath. It also included an Open Meetings Act lawsuit against the Electoral Board which was later settled out of court with the board paying our filing fees and costs.

PP: “…cost taxpayers $4,000 to determine that candidates may use paper clip to secure the papers associate with filing of nominating documents”

The Truth:

That is not what the Electoral Board ruled. Do you see what we mean now when we say that prudent research is the key to reporting factually?

Additionally, the Edgar County Clerk now includes a checklist for candidates to review prior to submitting their nominating packets. Guess what is included on that checklist? STAPLES! ‘nough said…

While it is true the board allowed the objected petitions, they went against all recent Circuit, Appellate, and Supreme Court decisions in similar cases of binding nominating packets. It is not true the board determined candidates could use paper clips.